We've seen and ridiculed music-playing clothes before, but that doesn't seem to have discouraged the makers of the electronic bongo drum t-shirt. This party-rocking piece of geek chic comes with four distinct sounds and can be had for the low low price of $49 plus shipping. Then you can pair it with your special edition Guitar Hero peripherals for the ultimate in instrument-free music creation.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Remember that microphone that we peeked just before Lips hit and (subsequently fell off) the scene? Microsoft has just announced that a standalone version will soon be available sans a tether, giving owners of the aforesaid title, Guitar Hero Metallica, Rock Band 2, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year and The Beatles: Rock Band the ability to carry a tune in a bucket right in the comfort of their living room. Too bad it'll run you $49.99 when it ships in the fall, but who knows, maybe there's some sweet Sennheiser diaphragm in there that we're not aware of.

[Via Joystiq]

Apple's closing out the new application talk today at WWDC with a demo from Line 6 and Planet Waves, who have joined the Cupertino-based company in order to give your iPhone the ability to control your guitar and amplifier. Sadly, the wireless communication between the Line 6 Variax guitar and the iPhone on stage had some issues, though the folks assured us we could see more later on at Line 6's website. If this thing manages to function, it will also let you re-tune your six-string and change models on the fly. No word on price or availability just yet, but we'll let you know if either of those factoids appear.

Just when you'd given up all hope that Mad Catz would ever ship its Fender Precision Bass for Rock Band, in flies this. If you'll recall, said axe was originally introduced to the world in September of last year, and with a certain Beatles-inspired bass set to ship in the ninth month of this year, Mad Catz obviously felt the time was right to cease its dilly-dallying. According to company CEO Darren Richardson, the wireless Fender bass for Rock Band will ship "later this month," which should mean that it'll be hitting store shelves over the weekend. In related news, the company has inked a multi-year licensing agreement with Microsoft that will allow it to "manufacture, market and sell Xbox 360-branded wireless specialty videogame controllers." Fun for them, yeah?

The avoirdupois of the world rests on your shoulders as you await the mind-numbing riffs of Painkiller. You wonder how you'll prevent yourself from engaging in overdrive prematurely as your locks bang to and fro. Then you look down and see EHX's Overdrive pedal a stone's throw from your left foot. Exhale.

[Via Boing Boing]

Alright, so you know Guitar Hero 5 is on the way -- that's all fine, well and good. But, did you realize that the birth of that game will also enable you to destroy your den by making room for four drum kits? Yes, we're serious. GH 5 promises any kind of musician mix 'n match you can dream up, enabling gamers to play with three singers and a drummer, four bassists (imagine someone cloning Sting and replacing the other Police with artificial Stings) or four skin slammin' drummers. With possibilities this endless, you know things are bound to get savage.

Are you ready for this? No, seriously -- can you handle yet another episode of Ask Engadget? Considering that our omnipresent intern bots are recording your head nodding up and down this very moment, we'll just cut straight to Chad's question:

"After viewing the special edition bass for Rock Band: Beatles (and longing for a true lefty guitar), I noticed that no one has asked which aftermarket guitar for either (or both) game(s) works better than the standard -- especially for those of us who play like Hendrix. So I put it to you, which is the best RB or GH axe out there with price being no issue?"

First off, big ups to the fellow southpaws out there. Secondly, which third-party axe really is the best to rock out with? Don't be afraid to place your modded Squier at the top of the charts, either.

Sigh. It's like making a Jag-Stang for righties -- it just ain't right, kids. Hot on the heels of seeing the other special edition Rock Band axes designed for the forthcoming Beatles title comes this, Sir Paul McCartney's Rock Band Höfner bass replica. At a glance, most everything looks to be legitimate, but considering that it's clearly tailored for those who lean right, it'll never be authentic in our minds. Yeah, that's our southpaw pride we're wearing on our sleeves -- what of it?

Finally, a few whispers straight from the horse's mouth. While we've heard rumor after rumor regarding the actual hardware to be bundled in with the sure-to-be-hot The Beatles: Rock Band, MTV Games, Harmonix and EA have come forward today with a few succulent tidbits to keep you interested until the 09.09.09 launch. We're told that the Limited Edition Premium Bundle will include the game itself, a Höfner Bass (which will undoubtedly do Sir Paul McCartney and southpaws the world over no favors by being right handed), a microphone, a microphone stand, undisclosed "additional special content" and the real kicker -- a Beatles-inspired and Ludwig-branded Rock Band 2 drums, complete with a classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head.

The whole kit is slated to launch worldwide this September, with USers having to pay $249, Europeans paying €199 and Britons paying £179. Finally, we're told that North American and European fans who pre-order any version of the game will be eligible to join the The Beatles: Rock Band Pre-Order Club and "receive breaking news and access to exclusive game elements including art and behind-the-scenes footage directly from MTV Games and Harmonix." Oh, goody!

Yamaha's forthcoming "hybrid" Avant Grand may not set you back quite as far as, say, a Hamburg Steinway Model D-274, but it still ain't priced for amateur budgets. The piece was engineered to be around half the size and a third of the weight of a real-deal nine foot acoustic grand piano, all while maintaining the same heralded feel and sound. Dubbed a "hybrid" grand, this thing not only has four speakers that envelope the player in audio, but even the keys trigger a hammer that strikes a bar in order to replicate the feel of slamming a chord on one of the world's most prized instruments. The good news is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for just $20,000. The bad news, coincidentally enough, is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for a staggering $20,000. A video demonstration is in the read link.

[Via CNET]

The world needs another instructional guitar tool like it needs another hole in the ozone layer, but in all seriousness, this one is stupendous. Er, it exhibits remarkable potential, considering that it's not yet beyond the concept stage. Designer Eugene Cheong has dreamed up the Maestro, an attachment that can supposedly be adapted to work on any guitar (of the electric variety, we presume) and teach you what frets to mash in order to actually become a halfway decent player. Put simply, the device accepts MP3 files via SD card, and then it breaks down the tunes into tablature which can be displayed via lasers. Once you see the beams lighting up your fretboard, you mash / strum in order to keep up and "learn" the songs. We can only hope this thing adds a slowdown mode should it ever hit store shelves, 'cause even the amateur probably doesn't want to tackle select Dream Theater tracks at full speed.

[Via DVICE]